Chapter 55: None Shall Pass
So, Bringer of Death had a recent chapter called 'Break Through the Limit'. That's pretty cool (and it was nice of them to ask me first). I'm not going to name a chapter after them or anything, seeing as it's kind of their thing and, well, you know. But it would be kind of funny if there was a whole "inspiration chain" of stories, if Honor Trip (if it wasn't ending) did a chapter called 'Bringer of Death', and BoD did their chapter I mentioned, then I did one called 'Sins of the Father' (I'm pretty sure I was one of the inspirations for that, though feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.)...
And by the way, Hatchiyak displays some abilities here even those of you who've seen the OVA "Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans" might not be familiar with. That's because they're from the original "Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans" it was based on. There were multiple endings, with Hatchiyak using a different form of attack in each, so I tried to think of a way to incorporate them all, as they're some cool abilities and having them all makes Hatchiyak not just a 'Broly Mk. II'.
And another cool thing, but I'll get to that after the chapter. Enjoy:
(Wait! Forgot to mention. We will get to Raichi's backstory. He's not just going to be 'generic villain McGeneric throwing monsters at you'. He has motivations, and I'll get to them. I haven't forgotten about that, they'll be in the story. Just...not yet.)
Gohan and Hatchiyak stalked forwards, silhouetted against the light from within the tower.
"What the hell is this?" Goku asked. "Where's this Baby? What's Gohan doing?"
"I think..." Vegeta muttered. "...the kid is Baby. Look at him—his face. He looks savage."
"I see..."
"You..." Broly rumbled, recognising Gohan. "You're the one..." His body started to shake.
"NO! MORE! I WON'T LET YOU!"
"Grrr...rrrr...I'll..."
"YOU HEAR ME, BROLY?! NO MORE!"
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Broly screamed, his sanity slipping away as he once again became the Legendary Super Saiyan, muscles filling out, aura taking on its green tone.
"I...see..." Vegeta took a step back. "He is something..."
Goku braced himself, knowing he could hardly rely on the other saiyans to be anything approaching allies—they just happened to have a larger score to settle with Raichi than they did with each other for the time being. It's begun...
Broly roared, charging straight at Gohan, but Hatchiyak stepped in from the side, his punch taking Broly by surprise and launching him away into the dirt.
+++Primary Threat Identified: Highest Power Level Located+++
+++Neutralising+++
Broly flipped himself up and away as Hatchiyak ran at him, swinging another punch, bringing his elbow up into its face. "So, I have to get through you first? Fine!" The two huge warriors flew off to the right, viciously hammering each other with powerful strikes.
Goku and Vegeta kept their attention on Gohan as he approached. "Baby, I presume," Vegeta said, unmoving.
Gohan smirked, turning Super Saiyan as he did so. "Correct. Hatchiyak over there is the pinnacle of our combat technology, in terms of brute force...I, on the other hand, am the ultimate infiltrator. Careful—I might possess you two next. Then it's a simple matter of having you commit suicide, which isn't difficult when I have complete control over your minds and bodies..." He spoke with Gohan's voice, but at a slightly higher pitch, and a sense of arrogance pervaded his speech.
"Still," Goku replied, "I know for one thing that you can't just control us any time you want, or you'd have already done it. There's got to be some kind of trigger."
"Hmph." Gohan's eyes narrowed. "You're mistaken if you think that little deduction will save you. You still don't know what the trigger is—and if I fail, Hatchiyak will not. Not to mention..." he paused, grinning. "No, actually I won't mention it. Don't want to ruin the suspense."
"Let my son go! This is the only warning you get!"
"Is that so?" Gohan raised an arm, firing an energy beam straight at Goku, who vanished, appearing behind Gohan and kicking him in the head. Gohan stumbled forwards, but rolled with the motion, pushing off the ground with one hand and punching Goku in the stomach, knocking him away. Vegeta came flying in from above, and Gohan blocked his overhead kick, jumping away and raising his guard.
"I see..." Goku stepped up next to Vegeta. "That's partly Gohan's fighting style, but part of it must be Baby's—he's a lot more skilled than usual."
"Don't waste my time with useless information!" Vegeta charged in again, ducking Gohan's quick jab and responding with an uppercut that launched Gohan into the air. He raised one hand. "I'll finish this right now—BIG BANG ATT—"
"NO!" Goku rocketed in from behind, tackling Vegeta to the floor before he could fire.
"What the hell are you doing, Kakarot?" Vegeta growled, kicking Goku off him. "This is no time for sentimentality—he's the enemy now!"
"Let's get one thing clear, Vegeta. If you try to kill my son again...you won't live to regret it."
"Oh, is that a threat?" Vegeta laughed. "I should warn you, if you want to take me on as well as this creature...this isn't anything like my full power. If I were to go all-out, taking the both of you down would be like swatting insects."
"Is that so?" Goku smiled. No reason to show him Super Saiyan 2 until I have to...might as well wait and see. "Excuse me if I don't believe you. The power you're using now is already much greater than anything I've seen or heard from you before."
"Then allow me to demonstrate." Vegeta sunk into a lower stance, a faraway look entering his eyes. "Are you ready, clown...to witness a power not seen for thousands of years?!"
"What are you—"
"HYAAAAAH!" Vegeta's ki skyrocketed, the planet shook, and blue sparks surrounded his body. Flares of golden light arced out from his aura, melting the ground where they touched it. "Now do you see? The sleeper has awakened! I am the prince of all saiyans once again!"
Goku braced himself against the waves of force emanating from Vegeta. "You don't say...heh."
"What's so funny?!" Vegeta demanded. "I'm about to destroy your son, what's funny about that?"
"You think you're the only one who can hide his power? That's funny...my turn now. HRRRAAAAAAH!" He reached within, finding his Super Saiyan 2 power and pulling it to the surface. "You're not the only one here with hidden depths."
"What the...no...you can't...!" Vegeta was at a loss. "Why?! Why is it that every time I rise to new heights of power...you're always there! You're one step ahead of me! It's like I'm climbing a mountain...and just when I think I've achieved something by reaching the summit, there you are waiting for me with that damned smile of yours, you and your idiot brother!" His fists trembled with fury. "Make no mistake...when I've dealt with Raichi, you're next! Do you hear me?"
Gohan scowled as he floated down towards them. "Easy though I am to overlook, monkeys, I am still here, and trying to kill you, lest you forget. According to this one's memories, he is also capable of this 'Super Saiyan 2' form. I see it is time to utilise it."
"What?!" Vegeta spluttered. "The child too!"
"Haaaaaa...yaaaaaagh..." Red sparks began to crackle up and down Gohan's aura as his hair stood up on end. He seemed to be having some difficulty transforming, beads of sweat trickling down his face. "...aaaaaAAAAAAAAAHH!" Blue bio-electricity began to appear too, mingling with the red. Whenever they touched, both would vanish with a hiss and a pop. More and more blue sparks began to appear, finally overwhelming and completely eliminating the red. Gohan fell to his knees as if struck, and the red rings vanished from around his eyes. "D...dad?" he looked up, wide-eyed. "Dad! Don't get cut!" he blurted out, pointing to a small cut on his neck. "It enters your body through your bloodstream and takes you over!"
"It's okay, son." Goku helped Gohan up. "I guess something about Super Saiyan 2's aura reacts badly to Baby...is it dead?"
"No..." Gohan indicated the tower. "It has a main body in there. It's still got control of the other two, anyway."
"Right." Goku looked around. "Hey, Vegeta—how's Broly doing over there?"
Vegeta indicated the blur of movement a few metres away. "See for yourself." Metal and muscle collided again and again, one unwilling to surrender or back down, the other mechanically incapable of doing so. The collisions rang out across the plain, until finally Broly's aura dimmed slightly. His movements began to slow, while Hatchiyak's remained as fast and precise as ever. Broly staggered away, panting. "Let me through...damn it! Get out of my way!"
Hatchiyak simply looked passively at the outclassed saiyan, then raised one hand, leaving its other arm hanging by its side. The message was clear: I'll beat you with this one hand.
+++Intimidation Delivered; Awaiting Emotional Response+++
"You...you make fun of me?!" Broly roared. "I AM THE LEGENDARY WARRIOR!" He swung an overhead hammer-fist, but Hatchiyak caught it one-handed, swinging around and sending Broly into an uncontrolled spin. Hatchiyak stepped in, punching Broly square in the face. Broly fell back, landing in the dirt. Hatchiyak crouched down, and ignoring the feral saiyan's ineffective attempts to counter-attack, proceeded to calmly and methodically beat Broly senseless with the same hand. It took over two minutes of relentless punching, but he wasn't in any hurry. Finally, Broly's movements stopped completely. His head slumped back, his aura faded and he shrank visibly as he receded into his base form, unmoving.
+++"Broly" Incapacitated+++
+++Finish? Y/N+++
Deep within the tower, Dr. Raichi tapped the N key on his control panel.
+++Acknowledged. Proceeding to Secondary Targets+++
Dr. Raichi steepled his fingers. "So, this 'Super Saiyan 2' repels my Baby? If that's the case...I may need you yet, Broly..."
"Uh-oh." Goku steeled himself as Hatchiyak lumbered towards them. "Broly's down, guys. Looks like we're next."
"I knew we should have helped Broly!" Vegeta snapped. "We could have taken that thing by surprise!"
"Get between those two? No thanks. It would have done us more harm than good." Goku shot a questioning glance at Vegeta. "Hey, do you mind if I have a crack at this guy first? I want to see what he's made of."
"Go ahead, knock yourself out," Vegeta grunted. "I'm only excited about the prospect of killing Raichi himself; his puppets don't concern me. But I'll be watching, in case you fail and I have to show you how a real saiyan fights..."
"All right, you do that. And Gohan, make sure you keep Super Saiyan 2 up—as long as you stay transformed, Baby can't control you."
Gohan nodded. "I'll try. But I've never maintained it for long before..."
"Just do your best." Goku turned to face Hatchiyak's approaching form. "Now, as for you...show me what you've got."
Hatchiyak stomped up to Goku, lunging at him. Goku jumped back, easily avoiding the swing. The machine punched again, and Goku caught its forearm in both hands, swinging it over his head and smashing it into the ground behind him. "Hah! Nice try, but you're too slow to catch me."
Hatchiyak recovered quickly, spinning around and leading with a low kick, followed by a double-handed swipe. Neither hit their target, Goku darting around the attacks and closing the distance for a flying kick to Hatchiyak's chest, sending it flying into the wall of the tower. He grinned, rubbing his leg where it ached from striking the robot's armour. "Hey, feel free to give up any time you like."
Hatchiyak lumbered out of the shadow of the tower, still expressionless, but now visibly damaged. Silently, it crossed it arms in front of its body, the glow in its gems growing in intensity. Without warning, its ki shot up for an instant, then it released the gathered energy in a massive emerald blast, leaving a cone-shaped crater in the ground in front of it...except for one section, upon which Goku stood, one still-smoking hand held out to block the attack. "Not bad. I've had worse." Seeing Goku unharmed, Hatchiyak reassessed the situation.
+++Report: Energy Supply at 97%. Armour at 85%. Estimate 20-50% disadvantage in current combat+++
+++Conclusion: Current situation untenable+++
+++Activating Alpha Protocol+++
Hatchiyak's image began to shimmer, slowly separating out into two Hatchiyak's, three, four. It kept splitting, dividing, growing in number until a whole horde of copies surrounded Goku.
"Well...this is new." Goku looked from one to the next. "They aren't afterimages—they all have Hatchiyak's ki...but if it's the Multi-Form technique, I've never seen it used on this kind of scale...what's more, his ki doesn't seem to have gone down at all!" He took in a deep breath, preparing to attack. "I can fight one of him, but this is a completely different story...oh well, here goes! Hyaaa!" He leapt, charging the nearest Hatchiyak and punching straight through it—but it dissipated into smoke. "Wha—" Another one came up behind him, kicking him in the back. Goku hissed, turning to face it. "I see—that's the only real one! Now where..." It was already gone, lost amidst a sea of copies. "Damn it! Which one?"
I'm not going to get anywhere just hitting them one at a time... He spread his arms and began firing small ki blasts in all directions, turning as he fired, dissipating dozens of clones. He kept firing until finally, one of the blasts hit something solid. "There!" He rocketed forwards, drawing back his fist, but the real Hatchiyak effortlessly created a swarm of new copies to replace the destroyed ones, and they all rushed him at once, flying straight at his face and blocking his view. "Get out of my way!" he yelled, throwing out a wave of energy around his body and blasting away all the copies at once. However, at that exact moment, the real Hatchiyak flew up behind him, smashing an elbow into his shoulder and knocking him to the ground. "Ugh!" Goku skidded to a halt, standing up straight and scanning the many images of Hatchiyak floating above him. "Well, this is just great. How am I supposed to beat this guy now?"
"Dad!" Gohan called. "Just get his attention for a few more seconds! I've got an idea!"
"Uh..." Goku shrugged. "Sure."
Vegeta snorted. "Oh, I can't wait to see what kind of brilliant strategy the small child here comes up with," he deadpanned.
"Anyone ever tell you to shut your mouth?" Goku shouted over to Vegeta as he charged the mass of Hatchiyaks again.
"Frequently. They don't tend to live long, though."
Goku began a chain of quick, short-range attacks that scattered Hatchiyak clones like leaves, but every few seconds the real one would sneak up on him and land a heavy blow, before vanishing back into the swarm. "Hurry up, Gohan! I can't keep this up forever!"
Gohan nodded. "All right!" All beings with an unusually high power level have a flicker of a fifth-dimensional presence...took me a while to find his. The clones can fool ki sense with some kind of artificial interference, but only one of them has this presence...and I've found it. He leapt into the air, aura blazing gold, and soared into the centre of the group of Hatchiyaks. "I've got you!" He slammed into the real Hatchiyak, pummeling it with a barrage of rapid punches and kicks. It didn't take long for one particularly damaging attack to send Hatchiyak plummeting to the ground, landing with a solid thump. There was a slight whirring noise as its clones disappeared and it stood up, sparks flying from several cracked armour segments.
"Awesome, Gohan!" Goku gave a thumbs-up. "But how did you know which one it was?"
"Kind of a long story...I'll tell you later. It's to do with a new technique I've learned." Gohan turned to face Hatchiyak. "Hold on, it's doing something..."
+++Alpha Protocol Ineffective+++
+++Report: Energy supply at 92%. Armour at 68%+++
+++Odds of victory under current circumstances rapidly approaching 0+++
+++Activating Beta Protocol+++
A low hum began to emanate from Hatchiyak. Its outline started to glow a bright green.
"Uh..." Goku took a few steps back. "Is it just me, or...is it getting bigger?"
"Your powers of observation stagger me," Vegeta muttered as he watched Hatchiyak grow to at least five times its previous size, massively dwarfing all of them. "Now, I suggest we—MOVE!" The three saiyans leapt back as Hatchiyak's gigantic fist crashed into the ground where they'd been standing moments ago.
"KAMEHAMEHA!" Gohan yelled as he fired the two-handed energy wave at Hatchiyak, who simply smacked it aside backhanded. Gohan lowered his hands, gaping. "It didn't have any effect at all! I don't like this...we may be outmatched here."
"Hmph. Speak for yourself." Vegeta floated up to hover next to him. "Look, kid, you may be at the second level of Super Saiyan as well, but don't think that puts you in the same league as me! I've trained hard to power up this form, as, I can see, has your father! You on the other hand, have been slacking off, it seems." He pointed to himself, smiling. "So why don't you just stand back and let a real warrior handle this."
Vegeta sprinted along the ground, Hatchiyak's figure looming ever closer on the horizon as he closed in. A giant hand swung down again, and Vegeta jumped, landing on Hatchiyak's wrist and running along it. "All right, you metal freak! You're about to see what happens when you go up against the prince of saiyans!" Reaching the shoulder, he formed an energy ball in one hand and slammed it right into Hatchiyak's neck, making it stumble sideways. One hand reached up to swat him off its shoulder, but he was already moving, backflipping back down to the ground. He swept his hand sideways, forming a semicircular arc of yellow energy that snaked along the ground, colliding with Hatchiyak's ankles at great speed. Hatchiyak tripped, almost righted itself, then finally toppled over as the energy arc exploded, blasting Hatchiyak off its feet.
Vegeta stood triumphantly over his downed enemy. "Do you understand now? Your size means nothing."
Hatchiyak pushed off the ground with one hand, launching itself at Vegeta, reaching out to grab him with the other hand. Vegeta grinned. "Yes, that's right. Come and get it." He jumped into the air, wrapping his arms around Hatchiyak's outstretched forearm at the wrist, so thick his arms couldn't reach all the way around it. Anchoring himself to it with his ki, he heaved on the monstrous machine, and with a mighty effort lifted it clear off the ground, swinging it around and around. "YAAAAH!" After the fourth spin, he let go, Hatchiyak flying off into a nearby mountain and reducing it to rubble. Vegeta soared up into the air above it, thrusting his hand out downwards.
"BIG BANG ATTACK!" The silvery sphere of energy burst forth from his palm, arcing down and colliding with Hatchiyak full-force before detonating. Goku grunted, shielding himself from the shockwave.
Vegeta lowered himself to the ground, his Super Saiyan 2 aura pulsing gently, sparks crackling like liquid fire. "Such is the fate of all who oppose me."
Goku gaped. "Wow...what an attack! You've really improved, Vegeta!"
Vegeta sighed. "Of course I have, you dolt! The last time you saw me, I wasn't even a match for Frieza's first form! Does stating the obvious run in your family, or is it just your hobby?"
Goku ignored him. "Hey, Gohan..." His head swung back and forth. "Uh, Gohan? Where'd he go?"
"Hold that thought," Vegeta growled. "That thing isn't finished yet."
"What?! But your attack was incredible! Give me a break!" Goku complained.
+++WARNING+++
Hatchiyak slowly rose from the wreckage, a vengeful titan blocking out the sun.
"We're in trouble..." Goku muttered. "It doesn't look happy!"
"Yes, I can see that!" Vegeta snapped.
+++This Unit in Danger of Total Systems Failure+++
"KA..."
"Huh? Where is that coming from?" Vegeta hissed.
"Sounds like Gohan..." Goku replied. But...where?"
+++Report: Power Supply at 48%. Armour at 35%+++
"ME..."
"Wait a minute..." Goku looked upwards. "I think I'm sensing his ki, but it's kind of faint."
"You're right!" Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "No, that can't be right...he's..."
+++Situation Critical. Protocol Beta Ineffective+++
"HA...ME..."
+++Activating—"HAAAAAAAAAAA!" A vibrant blue energy beam erupted out of Hatchiyak's chest, punching a gigantic hole straight through the robot. It froze, standing still for a moment as enough smoke to choke a city billowed out of the hole. Eventually, torturously slowly, it began to fall. It tumbled over backwards with a shriek of metal on stone, and this time it didn't move.
Gohan landed in front of the other two. "Hey, guys. Thanks for distracting it, Vegeta!"
"What...I..." Vegeta took in a deep breath, trying to calm down. "What the hell did you just do?"
"It's that new technique I mentioned," Gohan told them. "It's called Shifting." Concentrating briefly, he Shifted to behind them, causing them to start in surprise, swivelling to face him. "I just used it to teleport inside it while Vegeta was keeping it busy. And before you ask, it's not like Instant Transmission, no. I don't have to lock on to an energy signal, but it's much more short-ranged."
+++R.R. .Report: Power Supply 12%. AAAAArmour^_&^%&*($&$^%&
+++Armour: 3%+++
+++WARNING: SITUATION CRITICAL+++
"So how exactly did that tell you which Hatchiyak was real earlier?" Vegeta asked irritably.
"Uh...it's kind of complicated. Science and, uh, stuff."
"Never mind, then!" He turned away from Gohan. "I don't recall asking for your help."
"I don't recall asking you to invade my home planet."
"Uh, guys..." Goku held a hand up for silence. "Does anybody else hear that?"
+++Activating Gamma Protocol+++
Well, that was a change from last chapter's succession of short scenes. I believe that was actually all one scene. (checks) So it was. Huh. Well, I don't do these things intentionally, it's just how it came out. Hope you guys enjoyed the battle with Hatchiyak—I wanted to actually make it a threat that required some tactical thinking to beat, as going up against three Super Saiyan 2's could easily have made it completely ineffective.
IMPORTANT THING
I mentioned a cool thing. Here it is: Out of over 3,000 DBZ fics on this site that have updated within the last year, sorted by reviews, I am number seven! This story is on page one! Of over 100 pages! I mean, wow! (And if you take off the 'within the last year' caveat and just look at all DBZ fics, I'm still on the second page, number 29 I think.) Thanks, everybody! Rest assured, there's plenty more to come.
SEMI-IMPORTANT THING
Oh, and yeah, as you may have noticed, this whole 'irregular schedule' thing is allowing me to post faster than weekly sometimes as well as sometimes slower than it. So, how about it. Which would you guys prefer:
1. Weekly schedule, as before (once I'm done with exams, anyway, which will be another couple of weeks). Pro: You know when to check for updates. Con: Sometimes causes me stress when I realise it isn't nearly finished on Saturday night.
Or
2. Irregular schedule, usually averaging about one chapter a week, but depending on how productive I am you might get chapters as fast as one every day or two, or as slow as one every two weeks. Pro: Gives me always exactly as much time as I need to finish each chapter. Also can result in quicker chapters. Con: You won't have one day a week you absolutely definitely know is update day. Also can result in slower chapters.
So: I'm going to set up a poll. Within the next day or so. Please let me know. You can find it really easily. Just scroll up to the top of the page and click 'Captain Space'. You'll go to my profile, and you'll be able to see my polls there, of which there will only be one. It won't be hard to find, I have pretty much nothing else on my profile page.
Even Further Beyond Preview 3 (dragon 2 of 7) after the Q&A.
Q: Baby Gohan?! Interesting idea in fact I was planning that in a fic I was going to write after my first one's done. On another note SSJ 2 Goku against Baby Gohan, Broly v Hatchiyak, and Vegeta v rRichi's fortress?
A:As it turns out, no. Sorry. But don't discount Baby just yet.
Q:I wonder who will kill buu as goku doesn't know the spirit bomb and tien knows it could even be a group effort thing
A: Yup, Buu is going to be a tricky one.
Q:3 things:1)What's up with Raditz? 2) What about Myuu?!And is Raichi gonna Survive?!XD 3)Where's Onio?!XDDDD
A: That's four things. That's cheating. 1. Raditz is still dead. We'll get back to him after this story arc. 2. What ABOUT Myuu?! And I'm not going to tell you if Raichi survives. That would be a spoiler. 3. I don't like Onio.
Q:Also, how old is Break? I think she's either 2 or 3, I can't remember.
A:She's the same age as Trunks. However old that is. She'll be 8 in the Buu saga. So, uh, 2 right now, I guess?
Q: Goku, Vegeta, and Broly... I guess politics make for strange alliances.
A:Politics, and also vengeful, murderous possibly-undead scientists.
Even Further Beyond Preview #3: Glacius Shenron
"KAMEHAMEHA!" Goku fired his signature attack at full power, watching as it smashed into the ice dragon, who desperately struggled to hold it back two-handed.
"Gah!" Glacius shrieked. "Stop! Stop your attack!"
"Why...should I...listen to you?" Goku growled as he pumped more energy into the growing kamehameha wave.
"Because if you don't...I'll kill your friend down there!"
Goku looked down at Raditz, still frozen solid from Glacius' icy touch. "That's right!" The dragon hissed. "I'll freeze the water in his blood...it'll expand, and burst his veins! Not a nice way to go!"
"Grr...DAMN IT!" Goku lowered his arms, letting the energy wave die down.
"Yesss, very good." Glacius grinned maliciously, raising one arm and coating it with frost, shaping it into a blade. "Now, hold still while I kill you."
"Heh." Goku suppressed a laugh. "You think you've got me beaten."
"Of course I do! As long as I've got him trapped, you won't lift a finger against me!"
"I don't have to." Goku folded his arms and close his eyes. "I don't have to move a muscle...and you'll still be dead in ten seconds."
"What...?" Glacius blinked. "A-heh...heh heh...nice try. But your little bluff doesn't scare me." Its eyes narrowed. "Admit it! That isn't true!"
Goku shrugged. "Okay, I admit it. It's not quite true." He paused. "Five seconds."
"Wha..."
"Four."
"Stop it!" Glacius howled. "Whatever you're doing! Stop it or I'll kill him, I swear!"
"I'm not doing anything. It's nothing I can stop. Three. You're already dead...you just don't know it yet."
"What are you doing?! Answer me!"
"Two."
